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Abstract
The 1946 Hospital Survey and Construction Act, known informally as the Hill–Burton Act, provided construction grants and loans to communities who demonstrated need for building additional healthcare facilities based on population and income. Collection includes reports, data, printed materials, and audiovisual materials that document the application of the Hill-Burton Act by the Public Health Service.
Dates
- Creation: 1938-1980
Extent
8.75 Linear Feet (7 boxes)
Creator
- United States. Public Health Service (Organization)
Physical Location
Materials stored onsite. History of Medicine Division. National Library of Medicine
Language of Materials
Collection materials primarily in English
Access Restrictions
No restrictions on access.
Copyright Information
Donor's copyrights were transferred to the public domain. Archival collections often contain mixed copyrights; while NLM is the owner of the physical items, permission to examine collection materials is not an authorization to publish. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. It is the user's responsibility to research and understand any applicable copyright and re-publication rights not allowed by fair use. NLM does not grant permissions to publish.
Privacy Information
Archives and manuscript collections may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in any collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications for which the National Library of Medicine assumes no responsibility.
Historical Note
The 1946 Hospital Survey and Construction Act, known informally as the Hill–Burton Act, provided construction grants and loans to communities who demonstrated need for building additional healthcare facilities based on population and income. Federal assistance came with some stipulations: hospitals were offered federal money if they agreed to provide free healthcare to financially distressed patients, and state and local municipalities were required to match grant funding so federal funds only constituted part of the cost. While facilities who participated in the grant program were not allowed to discriminate by race, “separate but equal” facilities in the same area were permitted until the provision was eliminated by the Civil Rights Act of 1964. By 1975, nearly one-third of newly constructed hospitals could be contributed to the Hill-Burton Act, which was then merged into the Public Health Service Act.
Collection Summary
Collection includes reports, data, printed materials, and audiovisual materials that document the application of the Hill-Burton Act by the Public Health Service. Series 1: Registers and Reports represents the bulk of the collection and includes monthly, semiannual, and annual reports on grant money allocations, construction, and general impact at the state level from 1947-1976. Materials are arranged by bulk from largest to smallest, and single reports are arranged alphabetically. Series 2: Charts and Data contains State Plan Data as well as grant money and loan distribution breakdowns from 1948-1979; materials are arranged alphabetically. Pamphlets and other printed materials are also arranged alphabetically in Series 3: Printed Materials which includes memorandums and informational material about the Hill-Burton Act. Series 4: Audiovisual Materials includes photographs and postcards, the bulk of which captures the Public Health Service Hospital in Carville, Louisiana ca. 1950, as well as audio reels.
Abstract
The 1946 Hospital Survey and Construction Act, known informally as the Hill–Burton Act, provided construction grants and loans to communities who demonstrated need for building additional healthcare facilities based on population and income. Collection includes reports, data, printed materials, and audiovisual materials that document the application of the Hill-Burton Act by the Public Health Service.
Physical Location
Materials stored onsite. History of Medicine Division. National Library of Medicine
Provenance
Gift of John L. Parascandola, Office of Public Health Service, Accession #807.
Creator
- United States. Public Health Service (Organization)
- Title
- Finding Aid to the Hill-Burton Hospital Grant Program Collection, 1938-1980
- Status
- Edited Full Draft
- Author
- Rachel Hicks
- Date
- May 2026
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid is written in English
- Edition statement
- 1.0
Collecting Area Details
Part of the Archives and Modern Manuscripts Collections Collecting Area
8600 Rockville Pike
Bldg 38/1E-21, MSC 3819
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